His Rui

Chapter 288 – Do You Trust Me Now?

She remained silent as she stared at Xi Ying who got up from the ground and walked towards her.

"An Ping"

He called An Ping before reaching Li Rui and said

"Three of them ran away. I was worried that they will come here so I came before them. You go and find them. Rui and I will go to Xi Manor now."

"Yes, Master."

An Ping said respectfully but Xi Ying had not finished yet.

"Don't leave anyone alive."

Xi Ying said coldly.

However, the coldness in his eyes went away when he remembered that Li Rui was also present there. Xi Ying doesn't want his wife to see his ruthless and cold face ever.

However, the happenings don't seem to favor him. 

"Are you alright?"

A deep voice asked Li Rui as soon as he was in front of her.

However, she just looked at him silently without answering his question.

A frown marred Xi Ying's forehead when he didn't hear any answer.

"Rui, are you alright?"

Xi Ying asked again and this time his voice was laced with concern. Even An Ping who had been standing a step away from his master looked confused seeing the unresponsive Li Rui.

She had looked fine just a moment ago.

Xi Ying was filled with panic and he couldn't stop himself from stepping closer to Li Rui.

Holding her face between his hands, he caressed her cheek as he whispered

"Rui, say something. Don't scare me like this."

At this moment, Xi Ying looked so vulnerable …something that An Ping had never seen. He looked away from his master as he took a few more steps back. He needed to go back to the place where his master was fighting and then search for those shadow guards

However, as he did so, a frown marred his forehead.

'Something was not right.'

On the other hand, Li Rui who had come out of her trance said calmly.

"I am alright."

She responded finally and An Ping also looked ready to leave seeing this.

Xi Ying sighed in relief again and hugged Li Rui tightly in his arms as he whispered.

"Why were you not responding? I was so scared. You must be tired. We will immediately go back to Xi Manor."

Xi Ying said many things and a soft smile appeared on Li Rui's lips hearing his blabbering.

Xi Ling was also like this. Whenever he did something wrong or he was feeling nervous, he would blabber, blabber and blabber.   

But why was Xi Ying doing the same?

Was he also nervous…but why?

Was it because he was really worried about her? She would have thought that it was because of the child but there had been very few instances where Li Rui had heard Xi Ying mentioning the child.

His worry, if true was purely based on her. 

Somehow her heart felt warm and Li Rui unconsciously raised her hands to hug the man back …something she had never done before.

Perhaps this was also the reason behind her hesitation.

Or perhaps it was the guilt inside her heart.

Slowly and slowly she really hugged Xi Ying and immediately felt the arms around her stiffening. For that moment, she felt that she should really put down her hands…however she couldn't.

An Ping was right.

Something was really not right. She could smell it.

The arms around her waist tightened in response to her hands on his back. 

Li Rui spread one of her hands on Xi Ying's back and then she pulled away from Xi Ying. However, the man didn't let her.

She tried again and fortunately, he let it pull her back this time …though she saw a frown on his forehead she didn't pay any attention to it because her attention was somewhere else.

Slowly and slowly she looked down at her hands….they were trembling fiercely. 

Li Rui had seen her hands trembling like this before twice.

The first time was when Li Zhan had been dragged out of that hall. Li Zhan's body was full of blood and she had hugged her tightly at that time hoping to bring her back like that… hoping to keep her by her side like that for her whole life.

At that time, when she was pulled away by her father forcefully, her hands were dyed in red blood and they were trembling …very badly. 

The second time was when Li Mei died in front of her. At that time also, her hands were dyed in red blood and they were trembling just like at the time of Li Zhan's death. 

And the third time was today. Her hands were trembling …very badly and today also they were dyed in red blood.

The glaring red color stabbed her eyes like a knife.   

"H..how did this…?"

Li Rui asked with very difficulty as she looked at her hands. When she didn't get any response, she raised her head only to find Xi Ying looking at her hands with a confused face.   

"Blood…"

He whispered with knitted eyebrows as his face looked purely confused.

"Where…did it …come from?"

As he said these words, he staggered a little making Li Rui's eyes fill with fear.

"You…"

She whispered lightly unable to say anything as she forwarded her trembling hands to catch his staggering body.

The man held her hands but smiled lightly as he still tried to assure her.

"I am fine. Don't worry. It must be from some shadow guard when I killed him."

She would have believed him if she had not felt his wet back when she had embraced him just now. 

Li Rui swallowed lightly. Her throat was clogged …she didn't know with what. 

"Rui"

"Huh?" Li Rui said immediately when she heard Xi Ying calling her.

"Do you trust me now?"

That was the last thing Li Rui heard … before she saw Xi Ying suddenly sliding down the ground.

His eyes were closed as he laid there motionlessly on the ground and she stood there in a daze with her trembling hands dyed in red blood.